The bad people
by Skovko
Summary: Roman spots a woman in the library he's never seen in town before. He has to know her name, and takes the chance to go talk to her. She seems nervous and hightails it out of there. He decides to follow and finds a man waiting for her. He comes to the conclusion that she's married, but nothing is as he thinks, and the truth is more twisted than he could imagine.
1. Her name

Roman stood and watched the woman sitting at a table. She was so deep into her book that she didn't notice him watching her from afar. He had never seen her before. Maybe she was new in town or a tourist. It was the Summer holidays after all. Or maybe he just hadn't seen her before. He was sure he would have remembered if he had ever laid eyes on her.

It wasn't that she stood out as a supermodel beauty or anything. There was just something about her that he couldn't take his eyes off. Her hair was long, almost way too long. It reached just above her ass. It was straight and medium brown. She kept braiding and releasing a strand of her hair, over and over, clearly caught up in her book and probably not realizing she was doing it. It was a cute, little quirk.

He had to know her or at least get her name so he would know which name to connect with her face tonight in his fantasies. He walked towards her, taking in everything about her the closer he got. From her brown hair to her clothes. She wore a black blouse with white polka dots, a pair of light blue denim jeans, and black and white checkered sneakers.

"Hi," he said.

She snapped her head up from the book and she actually looked nervous. Even a bit scared. He knew his height and built might be intimidating so he quickly sat down on the chair next to her to try and get into eye level with her.

"I'm Roman," he smiled. "What's your name?"

She looked around nervously as if she was searching for someone. Her eyes finally settled on him again. She had beautiful green eyes.

"Are you one of them?" She asked lowly.  
"One of who?" He asked.  
"The bad people," she answered.  
"I don't see myself as a saint but I wouldn't categorize me as a bad person," he chuckled. "I'm sorry if my appearance scares you. I thought you looked cute and I decided to take the chance. I haven't seen you around here before. Are you new in town?"

She jumped up from the chair and ran out of the library, leaving the book behind she had been reading. That wasn't all she left. She forgot her purse too. A homemade purse with the word Styles crocheted on it. He grabbed it and ran after her.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted.

She kept sprinting down the street. She was fast. He sprinted after her, wondering how a woman could outrun him like that. She took a turn and ran towards a small house that he knew. It was always being rented out. Whoever rented it never stayed for long. It was a shit house, broken down, and people usually never stayed for more than a month or two. She sprinted towards the front door where a man with long, straight, brown hair stood waiting.

"AJ!" She yelled.  
"Wow!" He caught her in his arms. "What is it, darling?"  
"He's following me," she said.

She pointed at Roman who had run up to them. He stopped and tried to catch his breath.

"Shit, she can run," Roman chuckled. "Anyway..."  
"Go inside, Alana," AJ said.

AJ gave Alana a quick kiss on the mouth, and she disappeared inside. That told Roman all he needed to know. He had her name now. Alana. And he knew she was spoken for. He wasn't a man to ever pursue someone who was already spoken for. AJ crossed his arms and stared Roman down.

"What do you want?" AJ asked.  
"She forgot her purse at the library. I tried catching up with her but she's a fucking cheetah when it comes to running," Roman said.

Roman handed AJ the purse with a smile.

"Thanks," AJ said.  
"No problem," Roman said. "So Styles? Is that like her last name or something?"  
"Our last name," AJ said.  
"Oh, you're married. Of course," Roman said. "Anyway, I won't take up more of your time. Tell her I'm sorry if I scared her. Have a good day."


	2. Botanical garden

Roman walked into the library again next day. With everything that went down the day before, he never went back there. Since his three weeks Summer vacation had just started, he wanted some books to read. He craved to relax at home in his garden with a good book.

"Of course," he chuckled to himself.

He watched Alana as she sat at the same table like the day before, braiding and releasing a strand of hair while reading. Probably the same book as yesterday. She hadn't left his thoughts at all. She was wearing the same black and white checkered sneakers and a black and white checkered knee long empire waist dress that matched the sneakers.

He knew he shouldn't but he couldn't stop himself. There was still something about her. Just because she was married didn't mean he couldn't talk to her. A talk never hurt anybody as far as he knew. He walked over to her and sat down. She looked up just as nervously as the day before, but her face relaxed when she saw it was him.

"Hi, Alana," he said. "I'm really sorry if I scared you yesterday."  
"It's okay. AJ said you weren't one of them," she said.  
"One of who?" He asked.  
"The bad people," she answered.

He hadn't thought deeply about her choice of words yesterday, but hearing her say the exact same words today made him wonder if she was sane or not.

"The bad people?" He asked. "Who are the bad people?"  
"I don't know. I've never met them. AJ knows," she said.  
"And what do they want?" He asked.  
"Bad things," she looked down. "I don't wanna talk about it."  
"Are you in some sort of witness protection program?" He asked.

She didn't answer. If she was, she couldn't anyway. He'd rather think that than her not being sane. There was a deep attraction to her, and he couldn't get up and walk away even if she was married.

"Do you wanna go out for a cup of coffee?" He asked.

She looked up again, nervously chewing on her lip. He could see the struggle. She wanted to say yes.

"Can we go somewhere else?" She asked.  
"Sure. Where do you wanna go?" He asked.  
"Somewhere open with less people," she answered.  
"I think I got an idea," he stood up. "Follow me."

He took her to the botanical garden. There was never many people there even in the tourist season. People flocked to the ocean or the zoo. Places where their kids could have fun and people could relax better in general.

"It's pretty here," she said.  
"Not as pretty as you," he said.

Of course he had to flirt. He couldn't help himself. She blushed and nervously played with her hair. She didn't look like she was used to being paid a simple compliment.

"I'm sure your husband tells you everyday how pretty you are," he said.  
"My husband?" She looked confused. "I'm not married."  
"But that guy from yesterday. What was his name? AJ?" He asked.  
"He's my brother," she said.  
"But he kissed you," he said.

Roman thought back to the day before. It had only been a quick kiss. There had been no tongue. He didn't know any siblings kissing each other on the mouth as adults but he wasn't in a position to judge. He chose to see the light in this. She wasn't married. He could only wonder why AJ didn't correct him when he said it out loud the day before.

"So you're single?" He had to make sure.  
"Yes," she answered. "Always have been."  
"I find that hard to believe," he said.  
"We move a lot. I don't have time to find a boyfriend," she said.  
"How old are you?" He asked.  
"32," she answered.  
"I'm 34," he said. "And AJ?"  
"42," she said.  
"And why do you move around together like this? What do you do for a living?" He asked.

She dodged the question and walked over to a tree to study it. She turned around with a smile, and in that moment she almost looked perfect. He took out his phone.

"Can I take a picture of you?" He asked.  
"No!" She snapped.

She looked scared in that moment. He quickly put his phone away again but the damage was done. She wanted to get away, and in her confusion she dropped her purse again.

"Easy," he spoke softly.

He went down on a knee and picked up the purse.

"Here you go," he said. "It's okay, Alana. I won't take your picture. I won't do anything you don't want me to."  
"It's not that I don't want it. I can't, Roman," she said.  
"Can you explain to me why?" He asked.  
"I wish," she answered.

He went back to the witness protection theory in his head. He pushed it away and looked at the Styles name on her purse.

"Did you make this purse?" He asked.  
"My mom did for my 7th birthday," she said.  
"What a great gift. And you kept it for all these years," he said.  
"It's the only thing I have left of her," she said.  
"What happened to her?" He asked.  
"The bad people," she whispered. "I think I should go."

She walked past him but he gently took her hand. She stopped and looked at him. There were so many things he wanted to ask her about those so called bad people, but in that moment only one question came to mind that he needed to know the answer to.

"If you don't have the time for boyfriends, how long has it been since someone actually kissed you? And I mean really kissed you?" He asked.  
"I don't know," she blushed.

He moved close slowly and pulled her into his arms, giving her all the time in the world to say no or run away. She didn't. She stood still, awaiting his next move. He lowered his head and kissed her. Five seconds into the kiss her arms went around his midsection. He couldn't help but smile while kissing her for another 20 or 30 seconds before finally breaking apart.

"There," he said. "I hope that's enough to keep you going until tomorrow."  
"I really should go," she said.  
"Of course," he let go of her. "I'll hopefully see you again tomorrow. I'll be at the library."


	3. Take me home

Roman wasn't surprised to find Alana in the library next day with her nose buried in a book. She probably went there as soon as it opened each day. She sat there in a turquoise maxi dress with thin straps, braiding and releasing a strand of hair as usual. He walked straight over to her and sat down.

"Hi, gorgeous," he kissed her bare shoulder. "I missed you."

She blushed and smiled.

"What are you reading?" He asked.  
"Just some crime novel," she answered. "I would have been done with it by now if it wasn't for this handsome stranger always interrupting me."

He grinned proudly at those words. Handsome stranger.

"Why don't you just take it home with you?" He asked.  
"I can't," she answered.  
"I'm pretty sure that's how libraries work. You borrow a book and hand it back within a month," he said.  
"Have you taken any books home?" She asked.  
"I was going to but you keep interrupting my plans too," he said.  
"Take me home instead," she said.

She chewed nervously on her lip right after saying those words. He wasn't sure if she had meant to say them out loud, but now that they were out there, he sure was gonna answer them.

"I'd love to," he said.  
"Right now?" She asked.  
"Nothing would make me more happy," he said.

It was a short walk through town to his house. She walked inside, stepped out of her sneakers and placed her purse on his living room table. He eyed the purse and then looked at her.

"Can I get your number?" He asked.  
"I don't have a phone," she said.  
"What do you carry in that purse then?" He chuckled.  
"Oh, nothing really. I just like to look like other women," she shrugged. "Can I see the bedroom?"

It was clear she either had no game when it came to flirting, or she was a straight shooter. Either way, he took her hand and guided her into the bedroom. She looked nervous again, once again awaiting his move.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. He pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders, and the dress fell to the floor. He broke the kiss and sucked in his breath as he took in her body and the black set of underwear.

"You're gorgeous," he said.  
"I don't know," she blushed.  
"But I know," he smirked. "You're fucking gorgeous."

He kissed her again and backed her towards the bed, getting her out of the bra along the way. She followed his lead and tumbled down on the bed when they reached it. He grabbed her panties and slid them down her legs. With a smirk he spread her legs, settled between them and ran his tongue up her folds. She buried her fingers in his hair and moaned. He gave her everything he could with his tongue until she fell apart and cried out.

"Sounds like someone is enjoying themselves," he chuckled.

He sat back on his knees and pulled his tee off. He got out of bed and opened his jeans. She was watching him intensely as he stripped out of all his clothes.

"Birth control?" He asked.  
"No," she answered.  
"Don't worry, I got it covered," he said.

He went to a drawer, opened it and pulled out a condom. She kept lying on her back, watching him as he rolled on the condom and got back into bed. He placed a kiss on her knee, followed by a trail of kisses up her thigh and stomach, and up to her lips.

"Fuck, I need to be inside you," he said.

With one quick thrust, he buried himself inside her as deep as he could. The cry of pain that came from her took him by surprise. He held still and looked at her.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Shit, it's been a while, hasn't it?"  
"I didn't know it would hurt this bad," she said.  
"Wait, are you a virgin?" He asked.

She looked away ashamed.

"Jesus, why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have done this. I would have been more gentle," he said. "Shit, this isn't right. We're not doing this."  
"No!" She growled.

She dug her nails into his back in an attempt to keep him on top of her. He was surprised to find such a demanding personality inside her.

"You're already inside me. Let's finish this," she said.  
"Okay," he kissed her. "If that's what you want."  
"I want you, Roman," she said.

He tried moving as gentle as he could. She tensed up in the beginning but slowly she started moving with him and moaning again. She tensed up again but in the right way this time. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, nibbling on her skin as he kept rocking with her until she fell apart again. Her orgasm took him with her over the edge. He rolled down next to her and pulled her into his arms.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.  
"I didn't want you to look at me any differently," she answered.  
"I wouldn't have," he kissed her forehead. "So when I asked you yesterday how long ago it has been since you've been kissed and you said you didn't know, was that a cover too for never having kissed anybody?"  
"Yes," she said. "I'm sorry. I'm just a nobody. You deserve better."  
"Hey, don't say that," he said.

He leaned his head on his elbow and stroked her cheek.

"I deserve you, and you deserve me. I just wish you had been honest. That's all," he said.  
"You can't fall for me, Roman," she said.  
"Too late," he chuckled.  
"I mean it. You can't fall for me. I'm not gonna stay," she said.  
"I'm not gonna let you go without a fight," he said.  
"I'm serious," she said. "I told you we move a lot. We're gonna move eventually. I don't know when. When they find us. They always do."  
"Who are they?" He asked.

She snuggled closer so he couldn't see her face. He looked down at the top of her head, wishing she would tell him.

"I wish I knew," she said.  
"Me too," he said.  
"They killed my parents," she said.  
"How?" He asked.  
"I don't know. I wasn't told anything. I was only 9. AJ was 19. He knows. He won't tell me though. He says it'll hurt me too much to know. We ran that night. We've been running ever since," she said.  
"But that's like..." He did the math in his head. "...23 years ago. You've been running for 23 years?"  
"I'm tired," she said.  
"No wonder," he said.

She fell asleep on his chest. He stayed awake while she napped for around 30 minutes. He kept turning it around in his head. Who those so called bad people could be that she was running from. It clearly wasn't witness protection. Just two siblings on the run constantly.

"Hey," she said softly.

He looked down to see she was awake.

"Hey," he smiled.  
"Do you got any food here?" She asked.  
"Of course," he said.

Soon they were dressed and seated at his kitchen table. She was eating a turkey sandwich he had made for her.

"I like your house," she said.  
"Me too. When I got it on the market, I knew I had to buy it for myself," he said.  
"When you got it?" She asked.  
"Right, I haven't told you. I'm a real estate agent," he said.  
"Did you sell our house to AJ?" She asked.  
"No, that one is being rented out by Big E. He owns a Bed And Breakfast, and for some reason that old house too. No real estate agent ever wants to touch that. It's broken and unsellable, so he rents to people that never stays for long," he said.

She nodded and finished her sandwich.

"Thank you," she said. "I better go home before he starts searching for me at the library."  
"Can I see you again tomorrow?" He asked.  
"Sure, I'll come by here if you want me to," she said.  
"I'd very much want you to," he grinned.

An entire hour passed before Roman noticed she had left her purse on his living room table. He walked over and picked it up. It was unusual light for a purse. He knew he shouldn't but he did it anyway. He opened the purse and stared in confusion. She hadn't been lying when she said there was nothing there. There literally was nothing in it. Just an empty purse. Nothing to tell anyone who it belonged to.

He sighed and placed the purse back down. Something felt very wrong. It made sense if they were running that she had no phone and no ID, but it didn't make sense how they rented a house then. The house might be broken, but Big E did legit business. They would have to sign papers and pay some way.

He grabbed his laptop and googled for their names. Alana and AJ Styles. He wasn't sure if he would find anything with how anonymous they tried to live. To his surprise he found a lot. Page after page popped up with old articles.

"Hi, AJ," Alana walked into the house.  
"Did you enjoy your day?" AJ asked.  
"As always," she answered.

She smiled at her brother. A bigger smile than he was used to seeing.

"What?" He chuckled.  
"Could we stay in this town?" She asked.  
"You know that's not up to me. Why are you asking?" He asked.  
"I really like it here," she said. "The library is huge. It will take me a lifetime to get through all the books. It's nice and quiet here. I'm tired of moving. Can't we just stay?"  
"Silly, little girl," he shook his head. "And what happens when the bad people find us again?"

She looked down. He walked over and placed his hands on her cheeks, forcing her head back up.

"I love you," he said. "All I'm trying to do is protect you."  
"I know," she said. "And I love you too. You know that."  
"Pretty, little sister," he gave her a quick kiss. "I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, or anyone take you away from me."


	4. A world of lies

Roman had read article after article. It turned out the Styles siblings had famous parents. Both of them had been opera singers. They had died in a tragic bus accident one night. The bus driver had fallen asleep while driving up a mountain, and the bus had gone over the side and crashed. No one had survived.

To say Roman was confused was an understatement. Alana had talked about the bad people killing her parents and chasing after her and her brother for 23 years. They had run in the middle of the night. And that had gotten Roman to some other articles. The children of the Styles couple had disappeared. No one really needed to find AJ since he was 19 and an adult, but little 9 year old Alana needed to be found. No one found her though.

"What the hell is going on?" Roman mumbled.

The more he read, the more confused he became. The case seemed straight forward. Tragic accident. Kids gone missing. There was just some piece of the puzzle he couldn't fit in. Eventually he found the name of the officer that had been dealing with the missing person case back in the days. He phoned the police station and hoped that the guy was still working there after all these years. A woman answered the call.

"I'm looking for an officer that worked at your station 23 years ago. He worked on the case of Alana Styles. His name is Shawn Michaels," Roman said.  
"Please, hold," the woman said.

Roman waited for a few seconds, and then a male voice came through.

"Shawn Michaels," he said.  
"Hi, my name is Roman Reigns. I understand you worked with the missing person case of Alana Styles 23 years ago," Roman said.  
"Do you know something?" Shawn asked.  
"She's here in Pensacola, Florida with her brother AJ," Roman answered.  
"She's alive?" Shawn sounded relieved. "I always hoped she would be. How is she?"  
"She's a loveable woman," Roman smiled to himself. "I've fallen for her and she kept telling me the weirdest things so I started looking into her story. That's how I found you."

Roman stared at the article open on his laptop.

"A bus accident," Roman said. "She talks about some bad people killing her parents and chasing her and AJ down. They've been on the run for all these years. She doesn't know the truth."  
"AJ," Shawn sighed. "That was one weird kid. The way he always looked at his sister creeped everyone out. As if he was in love with her."

Roman thought back to the first time he met her. How he had seen AJ kiss her. Somehow it all started to make sense. AJ was a creep and living in a fantasy world. He had robbed Alana of not only her childhood but her entire life with all his lies.

"How does a 19 year old kid manage to run and keep running?" Roman asked.  
"Their parents were loaded. There were two trust funds set up for the kids. AJ got his when he turned 18. Alana was supposed to get hers too when she reached that age but no one has been able to find her. The money is still there," Shawn said.

That made Roman hopeful to hear.

"So she actually has a way out if she wants to leave him," Roman said.  
"All she has to do is sign the papers," Shawn said. "If you got a mail for her or something."  
"She has nothing. He's done a great job isolating her from the world," Roman said.  
"So bring her out again," Shawn said. "I can fly there tomorrow with the papers. I'd like to see her and officially close the case. It's been haunting me for many years."  
"Book a flight and let me know when you land," Roman said.

Roman felt better now that he knew the truth. The next step was to tell her that everything she believed in was a lie. He was ready with all the information next morning when she rang his door bell. His heart nearly broke when he opened the door. Her long hair hang loose as always. She wore those damn sneakers again. Her trademark. And she looked gorgeous in a light pink, knee long skirt and a black tee.

"Are you alright?" She asked.  
"Not really," he answered. "There's something I need you to see."

They walked into the living room where his laptop was waiting. They sat down on the couch. He leaned in and kissed her. He needed this one kiss before he said anything. He had no idea how she would react. She might storm out of the house and refuse to ever speak to him again.

"What's going on?" She asked.  
"There's no easy way to say this," he said.  
"Just say it. Whatever it is, I'd rather know directly than you trying to ease me into something I won't be able to understand," she said.  
"AJ lied to you," he said.  
"About what?" She asked.  
"Everything. Your entire life is a lie," he said.

She looked confused. He hadn't expected anything else.

"Your parents died in a bus accident," he said.  
"No, the bad people killed them," she said.  
"There are no bad people. Just AJ and a world of lies. I don't know why he's done this to you. I called the cop working on your case. He said that AJ creeped them all out because he always acted like he had feelings for you that no brother should ever have for his sister," he said.  
"I don't understand," she said.

He took his laptop and handed it to her.

"Read," he said.

She read the article that was open. It was about the accident. He watched her as she read. Her eyes grew wider and filled with tears.

"I don't believe this," she said.  
"And there's this," he clicked an article about her gone missing. "They were looking for you for years. You're a missing person."

She read the article. He could see her brain was working on overload. Tears slowly ran down her cheeks as she took in what she read.

"He lied to me?" She looked at him. "Why would he do that?"  
"To keep him to himself," he said.  
"But why? I don't understand," she said.  
"Neither do I," he sighed.

She placed the laptop back on the table and quick as a cat she crawled up on his lap and kissed him as if her life depended on it.

"Wow, Alana, easy," he said.  
"Please, Roman. I need you right now," she pleaded. "Make love to me."

He wasn't sure if it was the right or the wrong thing to do, but he was gonna give her what she needed. He held on to her with one hand and pushed himself up from the couch with the other. He carried her into the bedroom, kissing her all the way, and gently placed her down on the bed.


	5. First step away

Roman woke up to his alarm going off. For a moment he was confused as he sat up on the bed. He was still naked after having been with Alana. She wasn't there anymore. One look at the floor, and he saw her clothes was gone too. He ran a hand down his face, not wanting to believe she had snuck out on him.

"Oh, shut up!" He hissed at his phone.

He grabbed it and killed the alarm. It was a good thing he had set it. It was just a precaution in case he forgot when Shawn's plane landed. He hadn't planned on having sex and falling asleep in the early morning hours. Now it was noon. He got out of bed, took a quick shower, got dressed and drove to the airport.

Shawn's plane landed on time. Roman stood waiting. He recognized the cop from the pictures from the articles even though he was 23 years older than back then. He walked over and greeted the man with a handshake.

"Hi, Shawn. Welcome to Florida," Roman said.  
"Thank you," Shawn said. "Where are you hiding her?"  
"I wish I knew. She was in my house but I fell asleep and she left. She doesn't have a phone so I can't call her. My best bet is to take you to their house. AJ is probably there," Roman said.  
"I wouldn't mind seeing that little punk again," Shawn smirked.

They drove straight from the airport to the siblings' rented house. Shawn knocked firmly on the door. AJ opened a short while later, and his entire face dropped. Clearly he recognized the cop.

"Surprise!" Shawn said.  
"What are you doing here?" AJ asked.  
"I've been looking for you. Well, your sister," Shawn said.  
"You can't take her. She's an adult," AJ said.  
"You kidnapped her, AJ," Shawn said.  
"Prove it!" AJ crossed his arms. "I left that night. I didn't reconnect with her until she turned 18. You can't prove shit. And we're not even in the right state anymore. You got no authority here."

Both Shawn and Roman knew that was true. Shawn couldn't do anything about it.

"I just wanna see her," Shawn said.  
"She's not here," AJ said.  
"Where is she?" Roman asked.  
"Who are you again? Weren't you the guy who stalked my sister home the other day? Why are you even here?" AJ asked.  
"You might wanna ask your sister that," Roman smirked.  
"So it's like that, huh? You think you can get my sister? She's not interested in someone like you. She doesn't need anyone else but me," AJ said.  
"AJ, please," Shawn said. "It's been a long flight. Can I come in and sit down and wait for her to come home? I just wanna see that she's alright so I can close the old case."  
"Sure, come inside," AJ said.

They walked into the house that surely had seen better days. AJ walked them through the house and out to the garden.

"Sit down. I'll bring some lemonade," AJ said.

Shawn and Roman sat down on a garden chair each. They looked at the sad scenery of an overgrown garden that begged for someone to do something about it. They sat in silence for a while until Roman looked at the door leading to the house.

"He's been gone a while now. Is he making the lemonade from scratch?" Roman said.  
"Shit, we better check on him," Shawn said.

They hurried inside the house but AJ was nowhere to be found.

"Fuck!" Roman yelled. "The library!"

They ran to Roman's car and drove there quickly. Roman was the first one inside the library. His eyes went directly to the table she usually sat at. He could see the book from afar. The same book she had been reading everyday but she wasn't there.

"She's close. I know it," Roman said.

He ran back outside with Shawn following right after. They ran around the building and saw the siblings walk on a small path. AJ had his hand in a firm grip on Alana's arm. Roman hurried towards them with Shawn following suit.

"We need to go!" AJ snarled.  
"Stop! Talk to me!" Alana pleaded.  
"The bad people found us again. We need to get out of this town right now," AJ said.  
"Stop!" Roman yelled.

He ran in front of the siblings and cut off their path.

"Stay out of this and stay away from my sister!" AJ snarled.  
"Alana, you know the truth. You just need to accept it," Roman said.  
"I..." She looked between the two men.

Shawn stepped up next to Roman and looked at the grown woman in front of him. For so many years he had stared at a picture of a little girl.

"You look familiar," Alana said.  
"I was there that day to tell you what happened to your parents," Shawn said. "I'm a cop. My name is Shawn Michaels."  
"I remember you. You talked to AJ," Alana said.  
"Yes, I did. I told him what happened. He said he would tell you. Instead he kidnapped you," Shawn said.  
"I had every right to take my own damn sister!" AJ yelled.  
"No, you didn't. You had no right," Shawn spoke calmly. "I wish I could arrest you right now. You took everything from her. You never gave her a choice. You never asked her what she wanted."  
"She wants me!" AJ screamed. "She loves me!"

Alana stared at AJ and stepped away from him.

"No, wait. Let me explain. You love me, and I love you. You know this," AJ said.  
"Why, AJ?" She asked.  
"We're meant to be together. I was waiting for you to come to terms with that. I can wait forever," AJ said.  
"You're sick," Alana started crying. "Roman?"  
"I'm here," Roman said.

Roman gently grabbed Alana's arms and pulled her up next to his side. He was ready to defend her if it came to it. She had taken the first step away from her brother. He wasn't gonna let her fall back.

"You can't be serious," AJ looked at Alana. "You're choosing this weirdo over me?"  
"He's a good man," Alana said.  
"You don't know him," AJ said.  
"I don't know you!" Alana snapped. "You're sick, AJ. You need help. I would never be with you the way you want me to."  
"Fine! Let's see how well you do without my money!" AJ growled. "I'm leaving this town today with or without you. I'll give you one hour before I leave. I suggest you think long and hard about it because I'm not coming back for you."

AJ turned around and walked away fast. Alana wrapped her arms around Roman's midsection and held on so tight that he almost felt the air being squeezed out of him. It was clear she was afraid he might disappear too.

"I got you," Roman spoke lowly. "I'm not letting you slip away."  
"I don't know what to do," Alana said.  
"Let me see you," Shawn said. "Wow, you really grew up to be a beautiful woman. Something always told me you were still out there somewhere. I refused to give up hope."

She gave the cop a weak smile. She wasn't sure what to say to him.

"Let's go to Roman's car. I got some papers for you to sign," Shawn said.  
"What is it?" Alana asked.  
"Let's just say you're never gonna need money from AJ or anyone else," Shawn winked. "Your parents had you covered from birth."

After dealing with the paperwork and driving Shawn to the hotel where he had booked a room for the night, Roman and Alana sat on Roman's couch. They had just finished a pizza. She still seemed rather confused about it all.

"What do you wanna do?" He asked.  
"I'm not sure," she answered. "I know I wanna stay in this town. I need a place to live."  
"Good thing you're dating a real estate agent then," he chuckled. "Apartment or house?"  
"House, I think," she said.  
"How about a small one? A classic beginner house that will be easy to sell again," he said.  
"Why should I sell it again?" She asked.

He smirked and moved closer.

"Because..." He placed an arm around her shoulders. "One day when we've been together for a while, I'm gonna ask you to move in here, and I really hope you'll say yes."  
"Do you want a real relationship with me?" She asked.  
"More than anything," he answered.

He leaned down and kissed her.

"I knew it the moment I saw you. You're special," he said.  
"You're special too," she said.  
"Tomorrow we can go house hunting, and until you find the right place, you're crashing here," he said.  
"I do like your bed," she said.  
"Just my bed?" He asked.  
"And your tongue," she giggled.

He laughed and kissed her again.

"Well then, better show you what it can do," he said. "Come on, gorgeous. Let's take this to the bedroom."


End file.
